Rockabus Is No More (For Now)
Though this Memorial Day weekend’s forecast is looking decidedly bleak (i.e. rain, rain, rain), it’s still the start of the summer season and we really have so much to look forward to in the coming months.
But now, we have a small, figurative damper on all that fun: Rockabus, the bus line that shuttles Brooklynites et. al to Rockaway Beach, Fort Tilden and Jacob Riis won’t be operating this year.
Gothamist broke the news this morning that the company had issued a last-minute statement citing various reasons for the bus line’s (hopefully temporary) hiatus. Here’s what Rockabus founders Sam Morrill and Ryan Hefner had to say:
Dear Friends,
So let’s get the bummer news out of the way first: the Rockabus will not be running this summer.
When we started Rockabus in June 2012, we weren’t sure how New Yorkers would respond to the idea of school buses shuttling adults to the beach since it hadn’t been done before. Much to our delight, beachgoers and other kindred spirits flocked to our service while the locals in Rockaway warmly embraced our customers and our staff. For this we are infinitely grateful.
It hasn’t been easy, though. Over the course of two summers, we dealt with a major natural disaster, tightened regulations that limited the types of buses we can use, and other challenges that are unique to seasonal businesses. Building Rockabus has been a learning process, to say the least.
And so because of the aforementioned challenges, as well as in the interest of expanding and enhancing our service, we have decided to not run the Rockabus this summer. Make no mistake, the Rockabus will return bigger, better, and dare we say more rockin’. This suspension in service will enable us to best accomplish that goal.
We look forward to seeing you on the bus again soon.Sincerely,
Ryan & Sam
And there you have it. While the $15 service will certainly be missed (especially since Fort Tilden has finally come back into our once-empty lives), there really are plenty of travel alternatives, including other private bus lines, ferries and Old Faithful herself, the A train.
So, let’s not fall into despair. Summer’s finally arrived!
Follow Nikita Richardson on Twitter @nikitarbk